Thoughts on Leadership, Life and Fun stuff

Archive for September, 2012

For this edition of the Fashion Friday post, I’m tackling a very sensitive issue that I often get asked about. While my own policy might not be popular, I think it’s the right one. So what’s the place of cologne or perfume in the workplace? How much or how little should you wear to work? Before I answer that, here are a few thoughts to consider: Cologne or perfume smells different on each person depending one’s our body chemistry. What smells like lavender fields on you might smell like a can of sardines on me. Well, not really, but you get the point. The more you wear it, the less you smell it. That’s a tough one to balance. Like most chemicals, perfume dulls your senses. In other words, the more you use it, the less you smell it. However, the rest of us can smell it whether or not…

I hate email. It’s dying, but not fast enough for me. And since we still need to use it to communicate, I would like to offer some email etiquette guidelines that would make the use of such an antiquated communication tool more, well, bearable. Keep it short. Please no emails longer than three short paragraphs. Unless we are paid by the word or by the hour (attorneys!), we don’t have the attention span to read it. I usually scan it and close the email to read later. However, I seldom go back to it. Maybe never. Ok, never. Use the subject line properly. Create a subject line that makes sense and is relevant to the content of the email. In one day I received five emails from the same person with no subject lines. When that happens, I have not idea how to organize incoming emails and a chances are…

There is an audience for just about everything. Really. Your job is to find yours. I was reading Smart Money magazine and ran across Bart Centre, a retired New Hampshire retail executive behind Eternal Earth-Bound Pets: The Next Best Thing to Pet Salvation in a Post Rapture World.” According to Mr. Centre, he has sold 263 pet-care contracts to Christians concerned about their dogs and kittens left behind in the upcoming rapture. For $135, clients can count on pet-rescue services provided by one of 46 atheists who are guaranteed to remain on earth after the Second Coming. Yep. It’s for real. A good marketer’s job is to connect the product or message with the target audience. It’s simple, but not always easy. Before you put together your marketing strategy, ask yourself these questions: Who is my target audience? The more defined your audience, the easier it is to communicate your value proposition…

There are always excuses to stop us from accomplishing greatness in our lives. Some of them might even be legitimate. But there is nothing that stops me from trying harder than dealing with failure. After all, failure is the best excuse of all: “I’ve gave my best shot and fail. I’m moving on.” No one can fault you for that. You tried. You did your best. Now it’s time to move on, right? Well, not so fast. Recently I was reminded of the many failures Abraham Lincoln faced before he was finally elected president. In 1831, Abraham Lincoln failed in business. In 1832, Abraham Lincoln was defeated for state legislator. In 1833, Abraham Lincoln tried a new business, and failed. In 1835, Abraham Lincoln’s fiancée died. In 1836, Abraham Lincoln had a nervous breakdown. In 1843, Abraham Lincoln ran for Congress and was defeated. In 1848, Lincoln ran again, and…

Regardless of the final results, you will be graded on the entire execution process. Whether we are in the restaurant business, a not-for-profit, a church, or selling gadgets, our measure of success, from the consumer point of view, is not only the quality of deliverables but how well we get there. That thought stuck with me as I experienced great customer service at a restaurant recently. From the moment I walked in to the point I stepped out, I was impressed with the level of detail and care. And, yes, the food was amazing, but so was everything else. On the other side of that equation, I was thinking about a home project that at the end looked good and was well done, but getting there was a painful, arduous affair. While people complimented the final product, I always think, “I’m not doing that ever again.” As I tried to…

This past weekend my good friend and client, Frank Santora started a church in the middle of Time Square NYC. He couldn’t have picked a more difficult and expensive place to plant a church, but I’m glad he did. People in the city need to hear the gospel in a dynamic and unique way, and Frank is a gifted writer and communicator. Vision is a powerful motivation and one that often doesn’t make sense, but once it grabs hold of us, it can change everything. I had a vision to start The A Group several years before we started it in 2001. I remember a former boss saying, “what you want to do is needed, but I don’t think people will pay for it.” He was wrong. I’m glad. But too often the naysayers win the day and the vision that had been growing within us dies without ever being…

While the adults at my delayed gate in Atlanta looked around frustrated, tapped their toes, and checked their watches often, a group of small children decided to take a different approach to the inconvenience. I like their approach better. It was a typical scene in most busy airports in America: people trying to get to their final destinations, hoping that their delayed flight would not derail their best laid plans. I had joined the rest of the self-important business travelers whose body language clearly displayed our discontent with the situation. During my time at the gate, I saw a few small children finding each other and impromptuly forming a circle on the floor. Then they began to play games, and by the time we were boarding, they were breaking into song. Our delay became their party. As I was boarding I looked at the children and could not help but…

We underestimate our audience all the time. That’s even more true when it comes to technology. As I type this blog, the lady sitting next to me is reading a book on her second-generation Kindle. She’s well into her 70’s. One of the perpetuating myths I run across often is that people do not know how to use technology. Usually it goes in the form of “our people are not very good with technology. They are ten years behind.” What we have forgotten is that technology is now ubiquitous. It’s not an end or a statement anymore—perhaps it is for the cutting-edge technophile who’s looking for the latest gismo with an on and off button. But today, communication and technology are synonymous. Technology is no longer a luxury or even a choice. Even the older generations are now becoming digital users. If they want to be a part of their…